h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It wasn't golf golf, just putting/crazy golf/mini-golf – whatever you want to call it, that version of the game where you try and hit the ball through a windmill. Or possibly try to hit the windmill in the hope that that way you're likely to get the ball through the hole. There's a course just across the road from the office, you see, so I thought it'd be a fun change – although sadly it doesn't actually have a windmill.
I asked people if they wanted to meet up twice, you see, once in January for a or in the café or pub of their choice, and once in late spring/early summer (can't remember exactly when) for the round of crazy golf.

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If my success rate with resolutions is any reference - I think that this year's of living to see another New Year is short of chances . . .

See ya'll from the other side.

I haven't felt connected with my coworkers in over a decade.

We do nothing together after work hours. Well, I don't anyway, they may do stuff without me.

It all began to sour after a socially core coworker began having an affair with another coworker. I wasn't aware of it at the time, I just noticed that folks weren't going on outings together as much and I was feeling a bit ostracized. I never figured out what I did and I wasn't even sure I was being ostracized until one day when the two were heading out to lunch together and nearly ran my over on my . After they got back from a long lunch, I went to comment the socially central fellow (and driver) about the near collision (they pulled out in front of me not paying attention) he jumped down my throat preemptively expecting me to lecture him on traffic rules or something (I was going to passively aggressively make a joke about it).

Neither of them work on this contract anymore but I've never felt part of the group since. Days can pass at work without me even as much as saying hello to anyone. I sit in a locked room at work that no one else needs to access and I usually eat alone.

While I once planned to retire from this job, after a recent contract negotiation resulting in a significant pay cut, I don't want to be here in 4.5 years for the next contract negotiation.

I started making realistic New Year Resolutions in 2014. I resolved not to go to Wal-Mart. Ever. For anything. It's the first resolution I've ever kept, and I keep it to this day.

It worked so well I was inspired to try again, in 2015, with swearing off McDonald's. I only went twice during the year, both times for breakfast, and I only went once that I can remember last year, so I consider that one a success as well.

Last year my resolution was to try a different locally-owned restaurant that we had never been to every month in 2016. We discovered some of the best food! And supported our community as well.

This year I'm making it a bit more personal, I'm resolving to have at least one family night a month, to watch a movie or play games. Once a month might not seem like much, and honestly I'd like to try to do more, but once a month is more than we're doing now, and if I overachieve, then so much the better.

Nick, I hope you are well and healthy a year from now.

This year I've been trying not to eat any chocolate or biscuits, and eat fruit such as grapes instead.

You can't dunk a grape in a cup of .

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I carefully polish my grapes with a napkin, one by one, before eating them.

A fresh napkin for each grape? So no contaminants transfer . . . .

Mine is to declutter, but a bit more seriously than any attempt in the past.

The 30 day thing is a good idea, I've half heartedly done it before. The plan is to throw one thing on the 1st, two on the 2nd and so on. That could be 465 bits of uselessness by the end of a month. I don't mind if I miss a day, but just carry on with the right amount for the date.

So far today I've chucked a pair of scratched sunglasses, a permanent marker with no ink, a pair of socks, two bits of the hard protective plastic that comes with new ink cartridges and the broken lid of a snap top sandwich box. I've kept the box itself, apparently one of the tips to declutter is to use things you have already to put other things in.

I have an ongoing policy to get rid of things I don't use at least once a year. This isn't a resolution so much as standard operating procedure.

I wish I was better at that. I'm drowning in kipple.

It's a slow, arduous process, so be patient. There are things that I absolutely don't want to get rid of, so I invent reasons for using them.

Right now, in the middle of my living room, is a stack of notebooks from my college photography classes. Why I can't just take the whole stack and toss them, without at least looking through them, I don't know. They've been sitting there for... nearly two months now.

I thought I'd just toss them when I found them, but I skimmed through one and was rather impressed by the notes I took. But I know I don't have time to read through them so they need to go. I thought leaving them in the middle of my living room floor would motivate me to throw them away, but my powers of procrastination are impressive.

I once had procrastination as a New Year's resolution - but I just kept putting it off to another day.

One of these days I'll join the Professional Procrastinators of America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastinators'_Club_of_America

A431911

I just remembered that it was about 3 years ago now I took up running – I had an operation in January that inspired me to try and get fit. I set myself the target of doing the Great South Run because I knew a few people who had signed up to that – although they all pulled out by the day so I ended up doing it by myself.

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I've always meant to join the Procrastinators Society haven't gotten around to it yet (no pun intended here ). However, I've just looked at the members list and realised my previous incarnation, Chadsmoor Charlie (changed when I lost my password way way back) joined not once but three times

Deb

Three times?

Was that a resolution for three different New years?